Hynix to keep 200-mm fab, says report

SAN JOSE, Calif.  Amid a massive expansion plan, Hynix Semiconductor Inc. has scrapped a plan to sell its older M8 200-mm fab in Cheong-ju, North Chungcheong Province, according to the Korea Times.

South Korea's Hynix plans to upgrade M8, which makes NAND flash memory products, according to the report.

It's unclear what will happen to Hynix' other 200-mm fab in Korea. Hynix has been in talks with TSMC and others to sell the 200-mm NAND line, dubbed M9, according to reports.

The output for M8 and M9 lines is 300,000 wafers per month. With little or no fanfare, Hynix earlier this month claimed it will invest 12.5 trillion won ($13.3 billion) by the end of 2010. As part of the plan, it claims it will build three or four 300-mm chip lines, according to the report.